Celebrating 20 Years

Celebrating 20 Years

The Big Issue is celebrating 20 years of providing life-changing opportunities for homeless and disadvantaged Australians in June.

During that time, 6500 men and women have earned $23 million through sales of The Big Issue magazine.

We're marking the big milestone with the release of a bumper anniversary edition of the magazine, which will hit the streets on Friday, 3 June. Make sure you look out for this very special edition of The Big Issue: it will be bigger and on sale for longer than regular editions, and highlight some of the best content and achievements from the past two decades.

ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr and Lord Mayors in Adelaide, Brisbane, Darwin and Melbourne will take to the streets on 3 June to sell the magazine alongside vendors.

A small group of vendors sold the first copies of The Big Issue in Melbourne on June 16, 1996. We have since spread nationally, with more than 550 vendors working around the country today. Vendors buy copies for $3.50 and sell them for $7, keeping the difference.

The organisation has expanded to include five additional programs and enterprises alongside our popular street magazine, which allow The Big Issue to tackle different aspects of homelessness and disadvantage.

The Big Issue’s anniversary edition will feature 28 extra pages, making it the biggest ever edition of the magazine. It will highlight some of the best content and key achievements from the past two decades.

Be part of our 20th birthday by picking up a copy of the anniversary edition and spreading the word to your family and friends. We hope to boost sales to 30,000 copies for the anniversary edition, to put $100,000 into vendors pockets.